Chargers will need better outing from QB Rivers this time

“There are a couple things to evaluate off of that Pittsburgh game. We were struggling, not going through a good period. I put Philip in a bad position with two straight dropback passes in the end zone. I called the plays; I called the protection. We just didn't give him enough chances. We have to get off the field and get him the ball.”

Rivers has watched it and watched it some more. He wasn't on top of his game against a very good defense, but his team still was in position to win before time expired.

He certainly isn't ashamed of himself, nor should he be. Gunners have to keep gunning. I saw Dan Fouts throw five interceptions in two separate playoff games. Didn't keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

“It was not a game where I necessarily played well, but if I could just take away two plays ... ” regrets Rivers, who led the NFL in passing, anyway. “It was low-scoring and we gave ourselves a chance. I don't look at it and say, boy, I was absolutely brutal for four quarters.

“They had the ball forever. I think we're playing a lot better now than we were then. For whatever reasons, we just couldn't put a game together from a mental standpoint. We're so much better off now than we were when we went there. It was kind of like, this is where we turn things around – let's steal one in Pittsburgh, then we're home for three in a row. But it was like pulling teeth.”

So Rivers sees a similar game in the cold, one he can only hope has a different outcome.

“You can't get enamored with what happened the last time,” he says. “It's a game of adjustments. What did they do well against you? How did they hurt you? Norv has coached against so many guys. He obviously has a good feel for every opportunity.

“I wonder if, in our 14-2 year, we peaked too early. Last year we played better at the end and kept it going. It's the playoffs. Teams get better.”

And so do some quarterbacks, which is why this is Philip Rivers' game.